Towards a computational theory of experience

A standing challenge for the science of mind is to account for the datum that every mind faces in the most immediate – that is, unmediated – fashion: its phenomenal experience. The complementary tasks of explaining what it means for a system to give rise to experience and what constitutes the content of experience (qualia) in computational terms are particularly challenging, given the multiple realizability of computation. In this paper, we identify a set of conditions that a computational theory must satisfy for it to constitute not just a sufficient but a necessary, and therefore naturalistic and intrinsic, explanation of qualia. We show that a common assumption behind many neurocomputational theories of the mind, according to which mind states can be formalized solely in terms of instantaneous vectors of activities of representational units such as neurons, does not meet the requisite conditions, in part because it relies on inactive units to shape presently experienced qualia and implies a homogeneous representation space, which is devoid of intrinsic structure. We then sketch a naturalistic computational theory of qualia, which posits that experience is realized by dynamical activity-space trajectories (rather than points) and that its richness is measured by the representational capacity of the trajectory space in which it unfolds.     

The behavioral activation for depression scale-short form: development and validation

Following a landmark component analysis of cognitive therapy by Jacobson and colleagues (1996), there has been renewed interest in behavioral activation (BA) treatments for depression. The Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale (BADS) was developed to measure when and how clients become activated over the course of BA treatment. Multiple studies have provided initial support for the BADS but have also identified several potential problems. Four studies were conducted in order to develop and provide initial evaluation of a short form of the BADS that addresses these concerns. In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted on existing data using the original BADS in order to identify items to retain for the short form. In Study 2, these items were administered to a new sample of college students with elevated depressive symptoms and were analyzed with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Study 3 examined the predictive validity of the BADS-SF by examining the BADS-SF and depression scores in relation to activity tracking and reward-value ratings over the course of 1 week. Study 4 examined BADS-SF data over the course of BA treatment for two clients using cross-lagged panel correlations. With one client, changes in BADS-SF scores led changes in depression scores by 1 week, whereas with the other client changes in BADS-SF and depression scores occurred concurrently. These studies resulted in a nine-item scale that demonstrated good item characteristics as well as acceptable internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and predictive validity.     

The effect of attending to motor overflow on its voluntary inhibition in young and older adults

Motor overflow refers to involuntary movement or muscle activity coinciding with voluntary movement. We examined whether 16 young adults (18-30 years) and 16 older adults (50-80 years) could voluntarily inhibit overflow. Participants performed a finger pressing task, exerting 50% of their maximal force. Overflow was concurrently recorded in the non-task hand. In the first condition, participants were not made aware of their motor overflow. Then participants, though informed of it, were asked to ignore their overflow. Finally, participants were requested to inhibit overflow with, and then without visual feedback, or vice versa. Overflow was exacerbated when older adults were unaware of it, and was reduced once they were informed. For young adults there was no significant difference between these conditions. Both Age Groups could significantly reduce overflow when so requested, independent of visual feedback. Thus motor overflow can be modulated by higher order cognitive control with directed attention.     

Neuroimaging and neuroenergetics: Brain activations as information-driven reorganization of energy flows

There is increasing focus on the neurophysiological underpinnings of brain activations, giving birth to an emerging branch of neuroscience – neuroenergetics. However, no common definition of “brain activation” exists thus far. In this article, we define brain activation as the information-driven reorganization of energy flows in a population of neuroglial units that leads to an overall increase in energy utilization in this population. On the basis of this definition, the key aspects of modern biochemical and biophysical approaches to neuroenergetics are considered from the perspective of the links between these approaches within the context of the free energy minimization principle and the neurophysiological conception of deviance detection. In this light, we consider brain basal activity as subserving internal representations of the environment (predictive coding), and brain activation as reflecting the level of deviance from predictive coding.     

与当前任务无关的规则对自动反应激活过程的影响

摘要：本研究致力于探讨自上而下的任务因素对自动反应激活过程的影响。研究包含两个实验,采用掩蔽启动范式,选取字母和数字作为刺激,任务因素为与当前任务无关的处于预备状态的任务规则。实验一初步验证了与当前无关的处于预备状态的任务规则可以影响自动反应激活过程;实验二进一步证明了这种影响具有广泛性,即与当前无关的任务规则所设定的所有刺激系列都可以影响当前任务中的反应启动过程。研究总结论为：与当前任务目的无关、且存在自动刺激-反应联结的其他任务规则也能通过对被掩蔽的启动刺激反应的调节来影响对靶刺激的反应,从而影响启动效应的发生。     

元刻板印象及其对群际关系的作用

元刻板印象是指个体关于外群体成员对其所属群体(内群体)所持刻板印象的信念。作为一种群际元知觉, 元刻板印象的内容和效价可以在一定程度上反映群际关系。近些年, 越来越多的研究表明元刻板印象是影响群际关系的更加重要的变量。相对于刻板印象, 元刻板印象的激活更加复杂, 激活的元刻板印象会引发一系列的情绪、认知和行为效应。未来研究应关注元刻板印象作用于群际关系的心理机制, 并进一步探讨通过元刻板印象改善群际关系的策略, 开展针对于我国不同群体的本土化研究。     

类别型状态不确定独立否定句的加工机制：来自眼动实验的证据

探讨类别型状态不确定独立否定句(如“裙子不是蓝色的”)的动态表征过程。实验1和实验2分别仅给被试提供“与事件备择选项一致的图片” (红色裙子)和“含有否定标签的与事件否定状态一致的图片” (含有否定标签的蓝色裙子); 实验3同时提供以上两种选项。结果发现：3个实验中被试在早期均对“与事件否定状态一致的图片”注视概率更高, 在晚期阶段, 实验1仅对“与事件备择选项一致的图片” 注视概率更高, 实验2和实验3均仅对“含有否定标签的与事件否定状态一致的图片”注视概率更高, 并且选择为事件的最终状态; 实验4的评定结果表明, 当被试有充裕时间完成任务时, 37名评定者中有30名选择“与事件备择选项一致的图片”为事件的最终状态。4个实验的结果为锚激活与限制满足模型和抑制假设提供了进一步证据。     

基于面孔知觉的刻板印象激活两阶段模型

从个体建构研究视角出发, 考察了基于面孔知觉的刻板印象激活过程。实验一比较了性别分类判断、启动范式以及同时呈现范式下刻板印象匹配性判断三者所用反应时的差异, 结果发现, 后者显著地大于前二者, 且等于前二者之和; 面孔倒置呈现使同时呈现范式下刻板印象匹配判断的反应时和错误率显著增大, 但其对启动范式中刻板印象匹配判断的反应时和错误率没有影响。实验二基于同时呈现范式, 通过不同程度的面孔变形来操纵性别类别提取的难度, 更精确地探讨了基于面孔知觉的社会类别信息提取过程对刻板印象激活的影响, 结果表明, 随着从面孔中提取类别信息难度的增加, 刻板印象激活所用的反应时也逐渐增大。研究结果证实了研究者所提出的刻板印象激活两阶段模型, 即基于面孔知觉的社会类别提取阶段和刻板印象信息激活阶段, 证实社会类别激活和刻板印象信息激活是两个分离的过程, 以社会类别信息提取为目的的面孔知觉对刻板印象的激活有显著影响。     

刻板印象激活的无意图性及其大脑神经活动特征

采用启动Stroop范式, 对刻板印象激活的无意图性及其大脑神经活动特征进行了探讨。操纵了启动和“无启动”条件以及与启动所激活的刻板印象一致、冲突和无关的3类靶子词, 记录了36名大学生被试对靶子词进行颜色判别的行为反应和脑电图(EEG, electroencephalogram)。结果发现：(1)“无启动”条件下对3类靶子的反应时基本一致; 启动条件下对一致靶子做出颜色判别的反应时显著快于对冲突靶子的, 对无关靶子的反应时介于两者之间。(2)“无启动”条件下无关靶子诱发的N400波幅最大--显著大于一致和冲突靶子诱发的, 后两者诱发的N400无差异; 启动条件下一致靶子诱发的N400波幅显著小于冲突和无关靶子诱发的N400波幅, 无关靶子诱发的N400波幅也小于冲突靶子诱发的N400波幅。这表明刻板印象激活是一个发生在知觉后加工阶段的具有无意图性的自动化加工过程, 刻板印象激活效应具有抑制冲突信息加工同时促进一致信息加工的“双刃剑”模式, N400可以作为考察这一认知过程特征的电生理学指标。     

社会认知中的样例激活效应与内-外群体效应

采用信号检测论技术,以人格词单记忆为实验任务,探讨社会认知过程中样例激活效应与内-外群体效应对记忆过程的干扰作用.实验结果表明,(1)样例激活与群体范畴的交互效应对社会信息加工过程存在显著干扰作用.(2)与外群体相比,内群体的信息加工更不易受到干扰;与积极样例特质相比,消极他相关样例特质的信息加工更不易受到干扰.(3)在加工内群体成员信息而激活的是反面样例时,被试的判断标准最严.